Helix projecting toy gun



Nov. 25, 1952 J. B. TIGRETT HELIX PROJECTING TQY GUN Filed March 22, 1950 ww i IN VENTOR. John B 7257/ Patented Nov. 25, 1952 HELIX PROJ EGTIN G TOY GUN John B. Tigrett, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 22, 1950, Serial No. 151,169

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an amusement device, and more particularly to a toy which readily lends itself to being put in the form of a gun, such as a pistol or the like.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an amusement device which has an active element therein, or secured thereto, which, after appropriate cooking of the device, and by operation of a suitable release mechanism, may be suddenly extended into the air in the form of an inverted and elongated cone, the apex of which remains secured to the device, said element tending to return or retract to its initial position on or within the device.

Another object is therefore to provide an amusement device which may be made in the form of a gun having an active element which simulates a projectile shot from the gun.

It is a fruther object of this invention to provide a device of the character described which may be easily operated, and which is simply constructed, but which provides a very unusual and attractive effect when operated.

Still another object is to provide a device of the character described which may be repeatedly operated so that the active element referred to may be repetitively extended and retracted without becoming inoperative. Another object is to provide a device of the character described which may be so fired that the active element described which then extends therefrom can be caused to remain in an extended position until the operator of the device decides to cause it to return to its initial'position, to provide a device which may be so operated by merely positioning the main body of the device at a suitable angle when it is fired, and by subsequently altering the angular position of the device, when it is desired, to cause the active element to retract.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become evident as the description proceeds and from an examination of the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment of the invention, and in which similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view from above of one em bodiment of a device in the form of a toy pistol which incorporates the invention;

Figure 2 is a view in elevation and partly in vertical section of the device shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end view in elevation of the device shown in Figure 2, the view being taken to the left as the device is shown in Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in horizontal section of the muzzle portion of the pistol shown in Figure 2, the view being taken along the line 4--4 of that figure.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, a housing, indicated generally by the numeral [0, is provided having a tubular barrel portion l2 and a pistol grip portion M. The outer end I6 of the barrel portion [2 may be slightly flared for purposes which will later appear. The opposite end of the barrel l2 may be provided with the external threads l8 which are adapted to cooperate with the internally threaded closure member 20, as best shown in Figure 2. A centrally disposed threaded bore 22 may be provided in the closure member 20 which is adapted to receive the threaded end 24 of the rod or guide member 26, as best shown in Figure 2.

A tubular core member 28 may be provided which is adapted to be slidably mounted on the guide member 26 and also adapted to support the web, indicated generally by the numeral 30, which web is normally wound thereon in the form of a helix, being set or tampered to normally exist in that form. The inner convolution 32 of the web member 30 may be secured to the tubular core member 28 by means of an adhesive or in any other suitable manner so that one edge of the web, when it is at rest and in the form of a helix, normally abuts the base 34 of the cup-shaped collar 36. The set or temper of the web is also such that each convolution thereof is normally in light frictional contact with each immediately adjacent convolution when the web is at rest, as shown in Figure 2. The collar 36 is secured to the end 38 of the tubular core member 28 and is adapted to be slidably received by the barrel portion l2 of the housing l0 so as to form a piston or plungerlike element within the barrel I2, which element is adapted to slide freely therein, but in close fitting engagement therewith. The core member 28 and the collar member 36 thus form a supporting member for the web 30, which member is adapted to be held in close alignment with, but freely movable within, the barrel I 2 of the housin [0.

A resilient member which may be in the form of the spring 40 may be provided between the collar 36 and the closure member 20, concentrically disposed on the guide member 26. One end 42 of the spring member may be secured to the side of the base 34 of the collar 36 that does not abut the edge of the web 30. The opposite end 44 of the spring member may be secured in the bore 22 by being seated in a groove 46 formed in the end 24 of the guide member 26, and having its extremity bent at a right angle thereto and clamped between the end 26 and the base of the bore 22 in the closure member 26, as shown in Figure 2. Y

As best shown in Figure 4, the barrel l2 may be provided with oppositely disposed slots 48 and 50 through which the lug members 52 and 54 on the collar 36 are adapted to protrude. These lug members 52 and 54 provide a means of varying the position of the collar 36 in the barrel I2, as desired, since one or both of them can be readily grasped by the free hand of the individual holding the grip portion I4 of the housing I6.

Because of the construction described, the longitudinal axis of the collar member 36, together with the core member 28, are maintained in alignment with the axis of the barrel member I2, and when the web member 30 is in normal repose, as shown in Figure 2, with the plurality of convolutions 56 in close helical array, the supporting member formed by the core 28 and the collar 36, together with the web 30 disposed thereon, may be moved freely along the longitudinal axis of the barrel I2.

As shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, the collar member 36 can be retracted within the barrel [2 by applying appropriate force to the lugs 52 and 54 until the spring member 46 is compressed to a high degree. If the collar member 36, together with its associated parts, are then suddenly released, the compressed spring member 66 will cause these elements to move rapidly down the barrel I2 toward the flared end I6 thereof. The movement of the collar 36 and its associated parts in this direction will be suddenly, arrested by the lugs 52 and 54 coming into abutment with the ends 58 and 60 of the slotsflS and 56 in the barrel I2, respectively.

The convolutions of the web member 36, however, will tend to continue to move in the path in which the whole array was previously moving, the end result being that the major portion of the web will be projected out of the barrel I2 in the form of an inverted cone, the outer convolution 62 of the web forming the base of the cone, and the apex of the cone being formed by the inner convolution 32 remaining on the core member 28.

A locking mechanism may be provided to releasably lock the collar 36 and its associated parts in the position in which the spring member is compressed, as shown in Figure 2. A dog 64 may be pivotally mounted, as at 66, within the pistol grip portion I4 of the housing I6. A lug 68 of triangular cross-section may be provided on the dog 64, and be adapted to project through an opening III in the portion of the barrel I2 adjacent the upper end of the pistol grip portion I4. A slot 12 may be provided in the collar 36, as best shown in Figures 2 and 4, into which the lug 68 will be adapted to project and when the collar 36 is moved into the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. The dog 54 is adapted to be'edged by the spring it in a direction which will cause the lug 66 to normally project through the openings I6 and I2. Thus when the collar 36 is retracted, so that the lug 68 enters the opening 12, it will tend to be maintained in that position.

A trigger I6 may also be provided in the pistol grip portion I4 of the housin I6, being pivotally mounted at I6 so that it may be moved against the dogl64 and cause the latter to pivot in a direction which will withdraw the lug 68 from the slot 12 in the collar 36. One edge 11 of the trigger 16 may also be normally adapted to project through the slot 80, disposed at an appropriate point in the pistol grip portion M of the housing It).

Through this construction, a trigger release mechanism is provided which will allow the gun to be cooked and then fired at will by depressing the edge 71 of the trig er I6. In operation, the hand of the operator will normally embrace the trigger grip portion I4 of the housing In without normally depressing the projecting portion 'I'I of the trigger "I6. The gun may be cooked, as previously mentioned, by gripping each of the lugs 52 and 54 projecting laterally from the barrel I2 of the housing I6, as best shown in Figures 1 and 3, and applying sufficient force thereon in the appropriate direction so that the collar member 36 is pulled back to the position shown by dotted lines in Figure 2. As the collar 36 reaches this position, the slot 22 will be brought into registry with the projecting lug I8 on the dog 64, and the former will therefore enter the slot 12, being urged in that direction by operation of the spring member I4. After the lug I6 has so entered the slot I2, the lugs 52 and 54 on the collar member 56 may be released, and the collar member will be retained in the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2.

As soon as the operator desires to fire the gun so as to project the web 30 therefrom to simulate a projectile, the edge 11 of the trigger I6 may be depressed. The resulting pivotal movement of the trigger I6 causes the lug 68 to Withdraw from the slot 12 and the collar member 36, together with the end member 38 and the web 36, will be moved rapidly forward in the barrel I2 by the expansion of the previously compressed spring member 46. As soon as the collar member 36 reaches thelimit of its travel, determined by the abutment of the lugs 52 and 54 with the ends 58 and 66 of the slots 48 and 56 in the barrel I2, the convolutions of the web member 30 will be violently projected from the flared end I6 of the barrel I2 in the manner previously described.

Appropriate angular disposition of the barrel [2 of the gun with respect to the horizontal position will cause the web 36 to remain in the form of an extended cone, as previously described, and the web will not retract until the position of the barrel I2 is appropriately altered. On the other hand, if desired, the barrel may be held at such an angle that, as soon as the web has been fully ejected from the barrel, it will be immediately caused to retract and to again take the position substantially as shown in Figure 2. In an event, as soon as the web has been caused to retract, either immediately or otherwise, it will again assume the closely wound form shown in Figure 2, and will be immediately ready for another cooking and firing sequence. The flared end I6 of the barrel I2 serves as a guide for the convolutions as they re-enter the barrel and come to rest with their inner edge in abutment with the bottom 36 of the cup member 36.

The drawing and the above discussion are not intended to represent the only possible form of this invention, in regard to details of construction. Changes in form and in the proportion of parts, as well as the substitution of equivalents, are contemplated, as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention, as further defined in the following claim.

What is claimed is:

In a toy of the character described, a frame member, a barrel slightly flared at the open end thereof, a supporting member slidably mounted on said frame member, so as to move longitudinally within said barrel, a web of resilient material in the form of a cylindrical helix of a diameter slightly less than the inner diameter of said barrel, one of the innermost convolutions of said helix being secured to said supporting member so that the longitudinal axis of said helix is substantially parallel to the line of movement of said supporting member in said barrel and one edge of said web is normally in abutment with said supporting member, said web of resilient material being formed into a plurality of convolutions each of which is in light frictional contact with its neighbors, said material being set or tempered to cause it to exist in the form of said cylindrical helix when in normal repose and to cause it to tend to return to its cylindrical, helical form when any portion thereof is distorted axially,

resilient means normally urging said supporting 25 6 member and said helix toward the open end of said barrel with the edge of said helix that is free from contact with said supporting member leading, stop means limiting the movement of said supporting member toward said open end of said barrel so that when said supporting member abuts said stop means and said web is in normal repose said web is in the form of a cylinder having a substantial portion thereof disposed within said barrel, and means for releasably locking said supporting member when the latter is drawn back from said open end of said barrel a suflicient distance to cause said web to be entirely concealed within said barrel.

JOHN B. TIGRETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 547,394 Gardy Oct. 1, 1895 2,055,900 Lefever Sept. 29, 1936 2,495,967 Hamilton Jan. 31, 1950 

